After stopping by the state last year to help Democratic congressional candidates and making another visit Thursday to address a Democratic group in Birmingham, Eric Swalwell is no stranger to Alabama.
But the California congressman and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate – one of 24 vying for the party’s nomination to challenge President Trump – is not exactly a household name in Alabama.
Swalwell has an opportunity next week to gain name recognition and support in the second of two Democratic debates in Miami after being among the 20 candidates to qualify. His strategy doesn’t involve any drastic measures, but instead tell the story of how he connects with working Americans; Swalwell is the first in his family to attend college and is still tackling student debt. He also plans on using his youth – Swalwell is 38 years old and was 32 when he was first elected to the House – as a potential asset in drawing a deep contrast to Trump, 78.
“Just be myself,” the congressman told reporters when asked about his debate strategy when he will be sharing a stage with heavyweights such as Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California. “I was the first in my family to go to college, I’ve seen my parents work hard … but we need a generational change. We cannot put staler ideas on the debate stage next to Donald Trump than Donald Trump’s. We can’t live in the past. We need a candidate who’s going to represent the future. That’s why I’m running for president and that will show on the debate stage.”
On policy, Swalwell noted that he is the only candidate proposing a mandatory ban and buyback of assault weapons. Swalwell said he would press his Democratic rivals at the debate about why they don’t stand with him.
“I am going to challenge the field to join me in that,” the congressman said. “Under everyone else’s plan, they would leave 15 million assault weapons -- weapons of war -- on the streets … so I do want to see the field answer for that.”
A former county prosecutor and city councilman, Swalwell got some of his largest cheers from the Alabama Young Democrats while slamming the state’s abortion ban that leaves no exceptions for rape and incest. He pledged to nominate judges who would uphold Roe v. Wade if elected president.
“When it comes to women’s health, I believe and my wife believes that it’s a woman’s body, it’s always a woman’s choice,” he said. “I can’t imagine the anxiety that young women in this state must be undergoing as they see their rights attacked.”
Swalwell said boycotts of Alabama may be necessary if the courts uphold the recently passed ban. Officials in some states, including California, Colorado and Maryland, have advocated for refusing to pay for state travel to Alabama after Gov. Kay Ivey signed the ban into law.
“I don’t want don’t see it come to that, but we have to do all we can to protect a woman’s right to choose,” Swalwell told reporters before he spoke at the Birmingham District Brewing Company. “If this law prevails then businesses should consider what it means for their workforce. This is a right that was defended decades ago, and women today are just outraged that they marched to see this upheld as the law and now it’s being stripped away.”
The congressman, who was in Alabama for the midterm elections to help the Democratic House candidacies of Mo Brooks challenger Peter Joffrion in Huntsville and Mike Rogers rival Mallory Hagan in Auburn, made his campaign stop in the state Thursday after visiting Tennessee on Wednesday. He is headed to South Carolina on Friday.
Swalwell said his stops in Southern states are what’s necessary to make Democrats competitive across the nation next year.
“We want to compete everywhere in our country, including the South,” he said. “I believe we need to add states in 2020 and the only way to add states is to show up.”